Malise
Goddess of Miahari, the capital city of the distant desert region The Fell Sands on Katund the Foresaken currently under the strict rule of a caste of women warriors. Malise is one of the last gods to remain present and active on Katund after the Great Fuckup really did a doozie on the gods and societies there before. She represents values of adaptability and shapeshiting usually linked to a purpose of vengeance or fighting against the improbable odds of the underdog. Because the goddess possesses remarkable powers of transformation, her true form is unknown, though rumored to be a source of beauty so great that other gods of the pantheon insisted she never bear her body before them, resulting in the supression that would later turn to hate and eventually revenge. Malise is primarily worshipped by women of the Fell Sands by the Femari, linked especially close with the Femari Fatali, a group of mortal female assassins making their name known in the world as they begin to move operations through the tubes and bring Malise's worship with them. Background Early Origin Malise was a spirit of renown beauty who wandered the worlds of Skaldjr. Her form struck such a note in the world of what's gorgeous that she would be compared to even the illustrious Astrade, though none to her liking. However, as a spirit, she had yet to take the form of a god that anyone could cop a feel one and was labeled a big tease by some of the more 'masculine' gods who were frustrated by her half-presence. Add in the 'youthful' jealousy of young goddesses looking to reign in support and Malise's ethereal form was treated with scorn and she was chased out of common godly grounds and told to wander around on the blasted planet of Katund the Foresaken until she either found something to be god of so the male gods could better 'appreciate' her, or until she became more ugly so the lady gods wouldn't feel as competetive during the tender state of reconstruction after the Great Fuckup. Malise did as she was told, harboring feelings of frustration and disgrace as she made her way to the wrecked face of the far off planet and wandered for a very long time, stewing in her hate-brew. Godly Ascension Spitefully and shamefully hiding her beauty away, Malise found the covering of the constant storms raging at The Fell Sands to be the best veil to the outside worlds. It was to her great surprise when mortal folks, all women, began to appear and live in the same harsh sands. The set up rudimentary shelters and died about as well as they lived. The unforgiving conditions combined the constant storms with arid soil to make a climate in which nothing would grow. The only method of attaining food was to begin hunting the creatures resilient enough to willingly be there, which resulted in more death by way of injury and continued starvation. Malise marveled at these strange women who stayed within the perimeters of the storm even though doing so meant constant struggle. She watched from the veil of sand as while many women perished, others began to acclimate. They began to adapt and learn the ways of that harsh land, became able to move like the creatures they stalked and fiercer than those they fought. The women grew stronger. Malise assumed a human form covered in tattered rags and began to join in their hunts to test her own mettle, and she too grew in strength. Being alongside these people, she heard snips of why they were there, of the oppression which forced them to the ends of the planet, and how their burning hatred drove them to keep living--or die in the sands rather than in abusive captivity. Slowly, Malise became one of them, seeing her own struggle against greater godly oppressors as one in the same with a plight faced by this group of mortals unfortunate to find themselves under particularly unsavory tribal rule. As her spirit joined their cause, the spirit of the warrior women strengthened and eventually Malise revelead herself to be on of the spirits of the Thayarre, though by the time she did she had already descended as their god representing vengeance and adaptation. With that, the Femari were began. With a blasting show of her power, she threw off the sands of the makeshift camp where the Femari had lived--what had functioned as the veil she had hidden behind for so long--revealing a deep ravine in a craggy crater that would later have the city of Miahari carved into its walls. (For the history of how the Femari took hold in the region, see the history of The Fell Sands) Current Status With the turn of tides putting the women warrior cast of the Femari as the undisputed power in the sand regions of Katund, Malise's reign and worship ahs expanded as villages were toppled and more women were brought into the fold who found new life in pursuing vengeance, guided by Malise's cunning learned from multiple lifetimes spent in the desert. With such keen worshippers, Malise has taken place as one of the most active gods in the Pantheon, as she often assumes a mortal form within the capital city of Miahari and interacts directly with the people. Although she is highly regarded for her presence, she does not direct the actions of the Femari, and serves more as a counsel and source of strength towards completing tasks at hand. Malise has especially vested interest in the Fatali, the strongest of the clan's warriors, to whom she gives a much greater audience. Gods who once rebuked her presence for petty reasons even now continue to attempt disregarding her place among the Thayarre more out of trepidation than an issue with role or looks. She is, however, respected among their councils and has an empty seat at bi-annual meetings that shows no sign of being filled. Thinking of her as more of an indepedent rogue, there are a few hairs prickiling amongst them now that the Femari's dominance of Katund has allowed their operation to begin leaking onto other planets slowly through the tubes. Worship Homage is paid to Malise by declaring a goal of just vengeance and then seeing it to completion, no matter the means it may require to complete. Upholding that successful act of revenge from reverting to the way it was before also pays a passive tribute, and prevents cheaters from getting revenge over the same thing again and again to score massive god points. Of important note is that the revenge must be judged as just, and therefore while the action can be born of blind hate, it must right a wrong agreed upon by whatever cosmic scale of good and bad Malise employs. For example, it could be assumed tracking down a theif who stole a family heirloom and brutally beating the offender offers 'good' god points with Malise, while beating up someone who punched you in the arm would be looked at more as a mere act of random violence. Anyone training while done in preparation to right a greater wrong will receive the goddess's boon as well towards quickly acquiring skills and carrying them out with notable accuracy and finesse. One thing that makes this system unique is that one may take up vengeance on the part of another, meaning if someone was injured and unable to seek their own--or even if they were killed--another may take the task of seeking vengeance and receive Malise's bloodthirst blessing. Bloodthirst Blessing While weapon training, tactical traps, and performing acts of revenge in a group are all favored and trained often, it has been known the Malise's most pure form of vengeance is thought to be in the act of single-handedly dispatching of an enemy with one's own hands. If soon after an large-scale act of defiance or wrong-doing is taken against someone, they have the opportunity under Malise to request a bloodthirst blessing, wherein they swear to solely pursue the righting on the wrong, working towards that only goal that goal until completion, and the final act of vengeance must be carried out with their own hands. The blessed's hands will turn to highly pliable talons of diamond strength and razor shaprness, as well as grow to three times their previous size and finger length. It is with this adaptation that the receiver of the blessing must strike down their quarrel and right the injustice. To declare a bloodthirst blessing comes with a caveat, however, which makes it a gamble only the truly driven will commit too--if the prey escapes or is failed to be tracked down and dispatched, the blessed's hands will remain as claws. There have been instances recorded of extenuating circumstances set to appeal to Malise that have lifted the blessing without the goal being completed, but this is not common. A failed mission will result in ostracizing the warrior from the Fermari clan, and exile from other regions who don't want someone with deadly weapons for hands hanging around towns. Malise and Men The goddess's persecution was at the hands of men and women alike. It is by chance that her wandering as a spirit led her to the Fell Sands where she fell in and learned new strength alongside the Femari, and from that developed a perference in favoring women as well as attracting a base of worship consisting almost entirely of women, however it is occasionally discovered that a man pays homage and receives the support of Malise. These hunters are considered to be some of the most dangerous, as their desire for vengeance and justice, along with their ability to adapt, have outstripped Malise's disdain for men so as to gain her favor. Because these lone wolves not one of the Femari and absolute strangers to the inner-circle of the Fatali, they always seem to stick to the lives of wandering rogues who harbor a great pain that has motivated them to adapt a way of life that no society would accept them for. This kind of intensity is usually only felt by men who have something against the world, such as a man who lost his family to steef and has sworn to hunt down the leader of the tribe the attackers were under, or someone who wrongly imprisoned and is on a mission to stamp out fraud and betrayal.